Games of the Year 2018

Among Us is a strategy game where crew-mates prepare their spaceship for launch by completing tasks.

Among Us is a strategy game where crew-mates prepare their spaceship for launch by completing tasks. However, one of the players is an impostor intent on sabotaging the ship and killing the crew.

Stormworks: Build and Rescue is an open-world adventure where you design, build and pilot your own air-sea rescue service.

Stormworks: Build and Rescue is an open-world adventure where you design, build and pilot your own air-sea rescue service. You create programmable vehicles using its block-building system and pilot them into dangerous situations to rescue stricken vessels or individuals.

Subnautica is an open-world adventure where you explore the ocean on an alien planet after crashlanding.

Subnautica is an open-world adventure where you explore the ocean on an alien planet after crashlanding. You collect resources and fight creatures to survive.

Stardew Valley looks like a farming simulator.

Stardew Valley looks like a farming simulator. That’s partly what it is, but you also develop relationships with the other townsfolk and delve deep into the mines.

Sea of Thieves is an online game where you play a pirate searching for treasure and adventure.

Sea of Thieves is an online game where you play a pirate searching for treasure and adventure. Cast into a large open sea you work with other online players to crew your ship and find treasure.

Rocket League is a sports action game where you drive futuristic cars to score goals with an oversized football.

Rocket League is a sports action game where you drive futuristic cars to score goals with an oversized football. It's a game that sounds ridiculous but is actually a huge amount of fun to play and requires a lot of expertise.

Florence is a puzzle game that tells the story of a relationship.

Florence is a puzzle game that tells the story of a relationship. It follows the usual stages of loneliness, meeting, dating, falling for and moving in with another person.

Marvel's Spider-Man is a series of superhero adventures where you swing through an open-world city fighting crime and advancing a film-like story.

Marvel's Spider-Man is a series of superhero adventures where you swing through an open-world city fighting crime and advancing a film-like story. Play is a combination of exploration, taking on fights and collecting items.

Go Vacation is a resort exploration adventure where 50 mini-games can be discovered and played.

Go Vacation is a resort exploration adventure where 50 mini-games can be discovered and played. The mini-golf, skating, surfing, volleyball, car racing, tennis and other games use the Wii and Switch motion-sensitive controllers and are simple fun for youngsters.

Abzu is an adventure in a lush underwater world.

Abzu is an adventure in a lush underwater world. You descend into the heart of the ocean to find ancient secrets and encounter majestic creatures.

Conduct Together is a strategy game where you control toy trains along overlapping train tracks.

Conduct Together is a strategy game where you control toy trains along overlapping train tracks. Each train can be started and stopped with a specific button.

Outer Wilds is an exploration space mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop.

Outer Wilds is an exploration space mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop. After twenty minutes of game time, you must start again – but each time brings a new opportunity to learn how you ended up on the planet and solve the secrets of who built the strange galaxy.

Celeste is a platform game that requires players to use jumping and climbing moves to ascend an increasingly challenging two-dimensional mountain.

Celeste is a platform game that requires players to use jumping and climbing moves to ascend an increasingly challenging two-dimensional mountain. You play Madeline, who is haunted by self-doubt at the scale of the task at hand.

Luigi's Mansion is an adventure game where you investigate a haunted mansion to capture the ghosts.

Luigi's Mansion is an adventure game where you investigate a haunted mansion to capture the ghosts. As long-standing Nintendo character Luigi, you play a ghostbuster to capture various mischievous ghouls and rescue Mario.

Graveyard Keeper is a funeral-themed role-playing game where you are the caretaker of a local cemetery.

Graveyard Keeper is a funeral-themed role-playing game where you are the caretaker of a local cemetery. You make choices about how to lay out the plot, what services to offer and generally how to make money from your unusual enterprise.

Fe is a platform-traversal game where you play a fox in a magical fairy tale forest.

Fe is a platform-traversal game where you play a fox in a magical fairy tale forest. The world extends in front of you in stylised form, with trees, mountains and streams glistening with sparkles of life.

The Crew 2 is the latest in a series of open-world racing and exploration games set in a scaled-down version of the United States.

The Crew 2 is the latest in a series of open-world racing and exploration games set in a scaled-down version of the United States. The emphasis is on enjoyable and exciting driving more than realism.

Supraland is an adventure game that involves exploring, running, jumping, solving puzzles, and fighting monsters.

Supraland is an adventure game that involves exploring, running, jumping, solving puzzles, and fighting monsters. You play a member of the Red Village and you must discover why the Blue Village has sabotaged your water supply.

The Gardens Between is a puzzle game set in dreamlike island gardens where you play as best friends Arina and Frendt.

The Gardens Between is a puzzle game set in dreamlike island gardens where you play as best friends Arina and Frendt. You work around the island levels collecting balls of light in your lantern, manipulating time to solve puzzles and remove obstacles.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a space exploration and battle game.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a turn-based strategy game where you take command of a squad of soldiers and use your wits and tactics to plan and lead them to battle.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a turn-based strategy game where you take command of a squad of soldiers and use your wits and tactics to plan and lead them to battle. You play as Commander Claude Wallace and the soldiers of Squad E and experience a gripping tale of a tight-knit group of friends set out to turn the tides of war in a last-ditch secret mission.

Chariot is a cooperative running and jumping game where you work with another player to haul a wheeled Chariot to the end of each level.

Chariot is a cooperative running and jumping game where you work with another player to haul a wheeled Chariot to the end of each level. Pushing, pulling or dragging with ropes, you need to use the real physics of the game to solve puzzles and time jumps to get the heavy objects to their destinations.

Bomber Crew is a cartoon-styled World War 2 strategic bombing simulator.

Bomber Crew is a cartoon-styled World War 2 strategic bombing simulator. While it avoids the grim reality of these missions, it connects players to the extreme difficulty and danger of making it out and back again.

X4: Foundations is a space adventure where every element, from planets to ships to finance, is simulated to create a living universe where actions breed deep consequences.

X4: Foundations is a space adventure where every element, from planets to ships to finance, is simulated to create a living universe where actions breed deep consequences. Play is varied; you can fly every ship, explore anywhere, trade, build a space station or manage an empire.

Hades is a fighting game where you battle your way through dungeons to escape hell and the clutches of Hades.

Hades is a fighting game where you battle your way through dungeons to escape hell and the clutches of Hades. You play as Zagreus, the son of Hades and through the game, you'll meet many recognisable Greek gods like Zeus, Athena and Poseidon who will try to help you escape and give you new skills.

Unravel Two is a jumping and swinging platform game where you control a character made out of wool.

Unravel Two is a jumping and swinging platform game where you control a character made out of wool. As well as making him look super cute, the wool is used to swing around and interact with objects.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an action role-playing game set in the years 431–422 BCE during a mythological history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is an action role-playing game set in the years 431–422 BCE during a mythological history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. You play as a male or female mercenary fighting on both sides and attempting to unite their family.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a dark fantasy adventure, drawing on Norse and Celtic mythology, where you play a young female Pict warrior, Senua.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a dark fantasy adventure, drawing on Norse and Celtic mythology, where you play a young female Pict warrior, Senua. You explore and fight your way to Helheim to rescue the soul of her dead lover.

Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 are puzzle mazes made from optical illusions.

Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 are puzzle mazes made from optical illusions. You interact with each level to change the pathway and get your character to the exit.

Forgotton Anne (Forgotten Anne) is a hand-animated adventure that combines cartoon (Ghibli-inspired) storytelling with running and jumping puzzles.

Forgotton Anne (Forgotten Anne) is a hand-animated adventure that combines cartoon (Ghibli-inspired) storytelling with running and jumping puzzles. You play as Anne, the enforcer who keeps order in the Forgotten Lands, as she sets out to squash a rebellion that might prevent her master, Bonku, and herself from returning to the human world.

Just Shapes & Beats is a two player rhythm game where you dodge bullets in time with the music.

Just Shapes & Beats is a two player rhythm game where you dodge bullets in time with the music. As well as this unusual premise, play extends the novelty as you have to both avoid the various shapes and move to the Beats.

Gorogoa is a puzzle game where you rearrange and resize tiles to make a singular picture.

Gorogoa is a puzzle game where you rearrange and resize tiles to make a singular picture. It appears to be simple, but to solve the puzzles you need to play close attention to how they interrelate.

Valiant Hearts The Great War is an adventure game set during World War I.

Valiant Hearts The Great War is an adventure game set during World War I. You play four characters who help a young German soldier find his love in a story about survival, sacrifice and friendship.

Nier: Automata is a role-playing game, that span off from the Drakengard series.

Nier: Automata is a role-playing game, that span off from the Drakengard series. It's set in an alternate future where there is a war between alien machines and human androids.

Framed is a puzzle adventure where you rearrange panels of an animated comic book to change the outcome and timeline of the story.

Framed is a puzzle adventure where you rearrange panels of an animated comic book to change the outcome and timeline of the story. With a noir-detective look, the puzzles start simply but soon get complex.